LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 04: Jiri Prochazka of the Czech Republic reacts to his knockout of Khalil Rountree Jr. in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC 320 event at T-Mobile Arena on October 04, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

UFC 320 was an incredible card filled with thrilling fights, but the night’s best fight was undoubtedly Jiří Procházka and Khalil Rountree. Before UFC 320, I predicted that Jiří Procházka would knock out Khalil Rountree due to his three-and-a-half-inch reach advantage, unorthodox style, excellent footwork, and ability to be more aggressive and push the pace. For those first two rounds, I looked extremely foolish. From the opening horn, Procházka’s legs looked shaky; he was stumbling, and his typically excellent footwork looked sloppy. Not to mention, he appeared to play right into Rountree’s counterstriking style. In the first round, Rountree’s speed advantage was evident, and in round two, Rountree landed double the significant strikes than Procházka, with a 24-12 advantage. 

Then came round three, and all the intangibles that made me believe that Jiří Procházka would win this fight were suddenly there, after being absent from the first two rounds. Procházka dominated round three and knocked out Rountree with under two minutes remaining in the fight, in what should be a strong contender for Knockout of the Year. In fact, Procházka and Rountree may be a contender for Fight of the Year. Following Procházka’s two victories over two top five light heavyweights in former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree, a fighter who was Alex Pereira’s most formidable title defense, Procházka has suddenly reentered the light heavyweight title picture. Which begs the question: Is a third fight between Alex Pereira and Jiří Procházka warranted? 

The simple answer here is no. Procházka is 0-2 against Alex Pereira, with two knockout losses, both of which occurred in the second round. The fights between Pereira and Procházka were never close and never particularly competitive. Yet here we are having the conversation about a trilogy. Despite Pereira’s dominance in the two meetings between him and Procházka, those fights do have extenuating circumstances for Procházka that warrant an argument for a trilogy match. Heading into their first meeting at UFC 295, they were coming off a nearly eighteen-month layoff following a dislocation of his right shoulder as well as a torn rotator cuff. In their second meeting at UFC 303, Procházka fought Pereira on two weeks’ notice while battling a staph infection. This is enough to justify the UFC in selling this fight by asking the question: Can Procházka change the result of the first two fights with a fully healthy training camp? 

“I would take all these two fights, what I have learned from, and I will not repeat my mistakes. I will just be better. I will find a way.” Procházka told reporters at the UFC 320 post-fight press conference.

A second argument against a third Procházka and Pereira fight is Carlos Ulberg. The 34-year-old Ulberg is ranked #3 in the light heavyweight division with a 13-1 record that includes eight knockouts and a submission victory. His first-round knockout against Dominik Reyes, who was riding a three-fight win streak, a week prior to UFC 320, put his name on the map in the light heavyweight title picture. However, despite being ranked third in the division, Ulberg has only one top five win. A unanimous decision 29-28 victory over a 42-year-old Jan Blachowicz, who was coming off a double shoulder surgery and an eighteen-month layoff. Personally, I believe that Carlos Ulberg could use another signature win before getting a shot at the title. However, he is a fresh opponent for Pereira. 

At the end of the day, the UFC is a business. The priority is to sell tickets and make money. The best way to achieve this is for the promotion to prioritize showcasing exciting fights.

Making exciting fights is the UFC’s mission, and that is evident with the rumor that Diego Lopes is skipping the line for a featherweight title shot over Lerone Murphy despite Lopes losing to the champion, Volkanovski, in April. The reasoning is simple: Diego Lopes, like Jiří Procházka, is one of MMA’s most exciting fighters, and that is perhaps the strongest case for Jiří Procházka to get a third fight with Pereira. Because, regardless of the outcome, every MMA fan in the world loves watching Jiří Procházka fight. He is one of the most exciting fighters on the UFC roster. Despite seeing Procházka get brutally knocked by Pereira twice, I would always tune in to a Jiří Procházka fight. However, if the UFC wants to solve the Procházka and Ulberg dilemma the easy way, they should book a number one contender fight between the two.